Family background
Thomas Rostron was born on 10 August 1817 in Bolton, Lancashire, England, son of William Rostron and Mary Crompton. Thomas Rostron was imprisoned for 3 months on 28 August 1837 for rioting in Lancashire. He married Alice Booth (1822-1914) on 16 September 1822 at St Peter’s Church in Bolton, Lancashire, England. In September 1840, Thomas and Alice and their youngest daughter Mary (born 1839) sailed from Liverpool to Australia aboard the ship ’Brothers’. They arrived in Sydney on the 11 March 1841. The Rostron’s had nine more children all born in NSW. Thomas Rostron died at Wellington, NSW on 10 August 1885, aged 68 years.
Occupation & interests
Thomas Rostron was the proprietor of the ’Waterloo Retreat Inn’ on Botany Road in 1855-63. He earlier had the license for the ’Shipwright’s Arms’ in Balmain from 1849-53 and the ’Crooked Billet’ hotel on George Street, Sydney, from 1853-54. He was also a brick maker.
Community activity
Thomas Rostron regularly conducted a program of old English sports on Boxing Day. The program included a pony race, a cart horse race and a foot race, with prizes for each. Also included on the program were, sack and wheelbarrow races, climbing a greasy pole and catching a greasy pig; and a ball with supper in the evening.
Local government service
Thomas Rostron was elected as one of the nine inaugural alderman on Waterloo Council. He was an alderman on Waterloo Council in 1860-62.
References
‘Municipality of Waterloo’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 June 1860, p. 2, http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13042495
‘The Old English Sports’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 January 1861, p.1, http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28625593